Characters / Journey To Chaos Tricksters

Tasio The Trickster

The king of Tariatla's tricksters and also its number one pest. He's responsible for Eric's migration from Threa to Tariatla and many other things that happen to the boy. While other tricksters have their hobbies, he floats all over the place and no one is ever sure if it's for some grand scheme on behalf of Lady Chaos, or just petty amusement.

• Allpowerful Bystander: Tasio is the mightiest of Tariatla's deities but doesn't help any of its mortal heroes in any of their quests. This is because he is a trickster deity and finds their struggles to be amusing. He also believes that Helping Would Be Kill Stealing. In his own words, "I'm not a Deus ex Machina". If you summon him in a desperate moment, he'll chat up your enemy and snark at you. Eric once replied to this with "Shut up, you useless bystander." However, if the situation is sufficiently out of a given hero's league, he will lend a hand. Such an occasion occurred in Mana Mutation Menace when Order, his Arch-Enemy and one of The Powers That Be, possessed a mage and invaded a village of his favored race during an event important to his overall goal. At that point he suited up and joined the battle.
• Been There, Shaped History: When reading from his "resume", he claims to be responsible for the invention of fire, the wheel, and the Great Vowel Shift.
• Berserk Button: In ascending order it is: Ordercraft, ordercraft used to deny free will, ordercraft used to deny elves free will.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Tasio will address the reader from time to time. Sometimes it is to answer questions that he suspects they have and other times to make sure they're paying attention for an important plot point.
• The Chessmaster: He has a plan in motion and to achieve that plan he moves mortals and immortals alike on his game board.
  • In A Mage's Power everything went as Tasio directed. He arranged for Eric to meet Annala and join the Dragon's Lair. He worked with Basilard to engineer a Darkest Hour that would force Eric into action. He removed the sound-proof runes from Tahart's apartment so Eric would hear Annala's cry. Even Selen's Evil Plan only unfolded as it did becuse Tasio incorporated it into his own.
  • In Looming Shadow he hijacked the Evil Plan of the Big Bad Duumvirate to elevate themselves and kill Team Four into his own plan to continue forging Eric into the weapon of chaos that he needs while at the same time forcing Basilard to confront his heretical past.
• Dimensional Traveler: Tasio the Trickster can jump from World Fruit to World Fruit without a care. He drags Eric to Tariatla at the start of A Mage's Power, sends him back at the end, and then returns him to Tariatla at the start of Looming Shadow.
• Exorcist Head. He can turn his head all the way around for fun or convenience. He's made of chaotic energy. after all.
• Genre Savvy: Tasio delights in pointing out conventions in the RPG genre that show up in this fantasy and action/adventure style story. For instance, when Eric is about to fight a plot important major enemy, he'll announce a Boss Fight and remind Eric that the Final Boss will always have more than one form. He also likes to use tropes by name when explaining his plans, like how he exploited Mentor Occupational Hazard, defied Deus ex Machina and played straight Helping Would Be Kill Stealing.
• Grim Reaper: One of his titles is "The Reaper of Gods" and in this guise he wears a golden brown hooded cloak and wields a golden-brown scythe. That's right, he's the reaper's reaper.
• Helping Would Be Kill Stealing: Tasio the Trickster, with all his godly power and wisdom, could remove any obstacle in Eric's path and defeat any enemy he encounters. He doesn't because he put Eric on that path specifically so he would overcome both on his own and grow as a result. At the end of both A Mage's Power and Looming Shadow he expresses frustration at such a hands-off role, but continues to do so because to do otherwise would stunt Character Development and prevent chaotic change.
• I Have Many Names: His nicknames are numerous because no one wants to attract his attention by using his real name. Some of them are: The Trickster, The Herald of Chaos, The King of the Tricksters, the Ambivalent Saboteur, the Toxic Worm, the Overturner of Fortune, Aio Ricse, and Patron of Inventors.
• It Amused Me: His explanation for actions ranging from pulling someone's pants down, saving someone else's life, or causing the downfall of a country is always the same: it was fun.
• King of All Cosmos: Tasio the Trickster, king of Tariatla's trickster gods and Number Two for the Top God, spends much of his time on practical jokes. When Eric sees him pretending to be Arachnidman, he exclaims to his girlfriend, "This is what you want me to pray to?"
• Lack of Empathy: When Eric accuses Tasio of apathy towards victims of mana mutation the trickster replies, "My heart bleeds for every poor, tragic, hilarious victim". He's empathetic and compassionate in so far as fits his chaos god mentality. He's constantly helping mortal people and understands both their troubles and triumphs. Just as often he's making a nuisance of himself.
• Manipulative Bastard: Emotional blackmail is his stock-in-trade. He motivated Eric to grow a spine by faking a tragic death as Aio and then twisted Basilard's arm into completing Zettai's Bladi Conversion by first shapeshifting into Zettai's form at her most pitiful and then indirectly threatening that he might never become a father otherwise.
• Medium Awareness: He is aware that he is a character in a fantasy novel. He can even get his hands on a copy of Looming Shadow (it was full of blank pages, but otherwise correct).
• Papa Wolf: He is known as the "Grandfather of Elves" because of his role in transforming Arin into the first elf. He is referred to and addressed as "grandfather" by the entire race, such as when they pray for his help against ordercrafters. Smiting ensues.
• Red Baron: Among his titles are "The Ambivalent Saboteur", "The Taker of Cities" and "The Incarnation of Despair". Other titles are "Friend to Mortals", "Patron of Inventors" and "The Embodiment of Hope". He does all of these things.
• Speak of the Devil: Say his name once and you will attract his attention no matter where he is in the world. Say it three times and he will appear next to you.
• Trekkie: Tasio (a fantasy trickster god) has been known to cosplay as Q (a science fiction trickster god) and trick people into reenacting certain Star Trek: The Next Generation scenes at inappropriate times, such as when Eric has been kidnapped by an Evil Sorcerer who wants to dissect him.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: He makes long terms plans but all of them have vague and flexible areas so he can adjust as necessary. He calls this "planning something of that nature". Being an advocate of free will, it also allows him to incorporate the wishes of the people his plan relies on.

Zaticana the Trickster

The trickster goddess of language and gossip.

• Curse of Babel: She deliberately caused the original split in Tariatla's languages. It wasn't as a punishment, but because she thought the results would be fun to watch.
• Magic Kiss: Zaticana does this to impart her Omniglot blessing. When Eric tries to guess the magical mechanics of it, she says she just does it for fun.
• Stop Worshipping Me: She's a downplayed case; she's fine with the temple and clergy but she doesn't like the formality. She'd rather have friends than supplicants.

Krank the Trickster

The trickster god of Marriage Counseling.

• The Matchmaker: He can put the couple together in the the first place as well.

Remho the Trickster

The trickster god of the Theatre.

• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Provoking city-wide panic and confusion is not evil in his view, it's Enforced Method Acting because it engages the production's extras (i.e. Innocent Bystanders) like nothing else can. Regardless of danger, it draws out that true emotion that leads to excellent performances.
• Large Ham: He's fond of Big Entrances, dramatic statements, and explosions.
• Mind Hive: As the God of the Theater he has four aspects within one personality; producer, director, casting director, and special effects artist. All of them coexist as one deity with four roles but occasionally they argue. When they argue it all comes out of Remho's single mouth.
• Stuff Blowing Up: He's a leading expert on pyrotechnics.